


Just a Little More

by Brainblow



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Epilogue, F/M, Fire Emblem: Awakening Spoilers, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:22:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24411256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brainblow/pseuds/Brainblow
Summary: She wakes up to a vibrant blue sky, surrounded by lush grass in an open field, completely alone.An alternate, extended take on Fire Emblem: Awakening's post-credits scene.
Relationships: Chrom/My Unit | Reflet | Robin
Comments: 11
Kudos: 143





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> If I was less bad at this, I'd have the whole thing ready to go for Chrom's birthday, but instead it's the reason I pulled the trigger on a Chrobin fic that's been bouncing around in my head ever since I had a train of thought that goes something like:
> 
> Small brain: The post-credits scene of Awakening is kinda dumb and runs back the stakes of the sacrifice, rendering it significantly less impactful  
> Big brain: What if you were just okay with letting the characters in a Fire Emblem game goddamn breathe for once  
> Galaxy brain: Okay but what if Robin woke up in the field without the mark but this time there's no Chrom or Lissa

_"Chrom, we have to do_ something _."_

_"What do you propose we do?"_

_"Uh... I dunno!"_

* * *

As Robin's eyes opened, she instinctually strained her eyes against the blazing light of the sun as she pulled herself up into a seated position, immediately beset by a strange, consuming familiarity that she couldn't quite place. She was then just as quickly hit by a wave of pain coursing through her body that interrupted whatever thought she was pursuing, frantically huffing and panting as her mind raced to try and identify the cause. It was far too widespread to be the result of a single injury, and too consistent throughout to be the result of multiple. She surmised it could be a poison of some sort, but that would almost certainly have come with some symptoms she could have identified. No, it was a pain felt uniform throughout, as if her whole body had...dissipated? Dematerialized?

The realization snapped her out of her haze as she stood up and promptly took inventory. In addition to the Thoron tome she always kept stashed away as a backup, a quick scan confirmed that she was still in the garb that had become her trademark in battle: a breastplate and pair of greaves that augmented her standard ensemble, complete with a more ornate robe that the royal tailors had sewn, at Chrom's request.

Looking over her shoulder as she rotated her arms to see the Grimleal eyes that adorned the sleeves, she smiled as she fondly recalled the confused look on the prince's face when she shared her sketches of the new robe. He wasn't wrong to think that the symbols of an enemy cult had no place on a grandmaster's robe, per se, but even as far back as when she was questioned about the eyes on her robe the first time, she had felt that those eyes were inextricably intertwined with who she was and almost affirmed her identity as Robin. And while it wasn't wholly her intention, she certainly didn't object to seeing Chrom befuddled with such earnest and sincere worry on his face, the same sincerity that she had fallen in love with years ago.

At the very least, better that worry than the worry he had shown when fretting over his worthiness as exalt, or his worry when she couldn't promise, before the fateful battle, that she would be selfish for once in her life.

The desperation in his face then was heart-rending, of course, but it paled in comparison to the sheer despair in his tearful eyes as she disappeared right before him. He was standing, his right arm wielding Falchion uselessly limping by his side as he could only bring himself to vainly reach out with his left hand, watching as his other half sacrificed herself. Truth be told, the only thing that kept her from breaking down as she said her goodbyes was the knowledge that Chrom, Lucina, Morgan, and the rest of the world would be better for it.

_...Right?_

With bated breath, she removed her right glove, and sure enough, the Mark of Grima was completely gone from Robin's hand. She breathed a sigh of relief; she had unpleasant doubts over the intact condition of her getup, since the battle had definitely done a number on it. She then caught herself, noting that this was merely a sign, and for the sake of thoroughness she should consult with Tiki to confirm that Grima was no more. She would tell Chrom everything first, of course. She mused that he'd be just thrilled with this development, seeing as he loved fussing over her right hand, like the mark was some kind of wound. Always rubbing the back of her hand with his thumbs before brashly kissing it, the sentimental oaf that he was. It brought a warm smile to Robin's face just thinking about him.

And it was in that moment that it struck Robin that not only was she completely and utterly alone, without so much as proof of human life anywhere in sight, but also that she had no idea as to how long she had been out of commission. It reasonably could have been anything between mere minutes or years, decades, even centuries since the battle against the fell dragon; she couldn't rule anything out with certainty, given that technically her mere presence was an impossibility.

What she could be certain of, though, was what had triggered the overwhelming familiarity that she had felt before the searing pain minutes ago. It was in this field, in this exact spot, that Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick had found her, and it felt like she had heard the words they had uttered in that exact moment and woken up, as if the fate they had boldly changed together had saw it fit to reunite them in the exact same spot, in the exact same way.

And yet, her only company was the muted ambience of the Ylissean fields and the unceasing sunlight bearing down on her isolated figure. No Frederick, no Lissa, and no Chrom.

She would have been more despondent about her current situation, but the return of the sudden pain instead saw her fit to double over, heaving as sweat started dripping from her increasingly pale face. As it once again subsided, she realized that lingering out in the open like this would do her no good, stood up, and sauntered over to what she remembered was the nearest town: Southtown.

* * *

That night, Robin couldn't bring herself to sleep.

If she were say, Maribelle, it would be one thing, but she never had problems getting enough sleep in the past. Being the Shepherds' tactician meant that she was constantly getting and processing new information, be it changes in performance she would account for between battles or enemy maneuvers she would try to dissect or historical tactics she would pore over anytime she got her hands on a new treatise. Robin always looked forward to sleeping, since for her it was hours she could spend subconsciously making sense of everything, before waking up first thing in the morning and scribbling down her insights into something more concrete. And even during the lulls of peacetime, Chrom was a very convincing argument for her to get in bed.

And yet, with nothing but faint starlight through the window illuminating the upstairs room, she could only stare listlessly at the ceiling, then at her robe and armor laying neatly at bedside, waiting for her eyes to close on their own. It certainly wasn't for a lack of info to chew on: the whole debacle in the field aside, she had plenty to work with just looking at how she got here. Before she entered Southtown proper, she had undone her twintails and turned her robe inside out to attempt to conceal her identity; she knew nothing about the current state of Ylisse (if it even still _was_ Ylisse), so she figured she should play it safe and pose as a mere traveller. (She knew that she would still be relatively easy to identify, but she decided to hedge her bets nonetheless.) Fortunately, Southtown seemed to be as quiet and slow as it usually was. She only saw a handful of people moving about as she roamed the streets, and if anyone knew who she was, she didn't pick up any tells that they did.

In truth, Robin felt nostalgic as she walked over the town bridges and passed by the food stands. It was, after all, where she had proven her mettle as a tactician to Chrom for the first time, as well as the last stop during their tour commemorating their marriage after Gangrel's defeat. He had been so eager about punctuating the trip near their first meeting that, for once, Frederick didn't protest and simply sighed as he scrapped the path he had planned and began redrawing the route.

She eventually found a local inn and inquired inside. To her surprise, a young teenage boy looked up from the counter and answered her call. He explained to Robin that his parents were out buying wares at Ylisstol and he was to keep the inn running, even if business of late had been slow. As she was about to ask the price of staying a night, she realized that she had no gold on her and was contemplating ways to scrounge up the money necessary (Some menial work? Maybe she could sell her tome? Would anyone here even buy the tome?) before catching a glimpse of the book text the boy seemed to be reading.

"Out of curiosity, is that a Thunder tome you have there?"

The boy's eyes opened wide. "Do you...understand this stuff?" It turned out that his mother had come across the worn out tome in passing, and while Robin could tell that it no longer had the potency to be used for offensive combat magic, the pages were in good enough condition that the runes and archaic text were legible. The book was clearly the most exciting thing the boy had come across while living in Southtown, and so, sensing an opportunity, Robin negotiated for a night's stay in exchange for explaining the Thunder tome and magic as a whole to the boy (on top of paying what she fairly owed as soon as possible, of course).

After some nourishment and a brief nap, Robin then set about to extract as much information as she could from the boy while stepping through the basics of magic. She learned that it had been roughly three years since Grima was defeated, and in the time since, the Ylissean people, for the most part, were living peaceful and uneventful lives, save for a brief period where everyone was on high alert, as the exalt had declared a search for the missing queen.

Robin stifled a sob by taking a sip of water, then feigned ignorance. "The queen was missing?"

"Yeah," the boy answered. "It was a big deal. We got a lot of business then, since a lot of people would pay for lodgings while searching nearby. The exalt himself visited Southtown once, too."

"Did he, now?" _No doubt he thought to check here._

"That's what Mother told me, at least. I couldn't see since the inn was really busy that day and I needed to help Father with things," the boy recalled, resting his chin on his hand.

"Hm." Robin paused before wondering out loud, "Do you know what the queen looks like?"

The boy shook his head. "No, but my parents do. They like her a lot. Said that she helped fight off bandits that attacked Southtown about...uh...five years ago. Mother said she had really white hair. Kind of like yours, actually," the boy noted.

Robin chuckled. "Well, maybe I'm the queen." The boy laughed in response. "Yeah, maybe. Maybe I should take you to the town guard right now to check. Couldn't hurt, right?" They both laughed a bit more, Robin a bit more bitterly, before the boy interjected, "Actually, come to think of it, I don't think the exalt's ever called off the search."

"Really?"

"No, I think everyone just sort of gave up." The boy shrugged. "Or at least, we don't get visits from people who are searching now, anyway."

That was what stuck with Robin hours later, as she languished restlessly on the bed. _Chrom never stopped looking._ Three years after she broke his heart at that battle, and he was still looking. Three years having to lead Ylisse as its exalt, feeling the weight of Emmeryn's legacy, without her at his side. Three years raising young Lucina with only the help of the wetnurses and Lissa, who was almost certainly preoccupied with a young Owain as well. Three years after everyone but him thought that Robin had gave up her life to end the cycle permanently. She had vanished before his very eyes, and the stubborn man that he was, he was still looking.

Gods, she could almost hear him frantically trying to convince everyone she was still out there. _Emm lived, right? Everyone thought she was dead, I_ saw _her die and she lived. So did Gangrel and Walhart, for crying out loud! We slayed them, I was there, and they lived! What makes this different? Robin is alive. She_ must _be alive. She's alive and I will not rest until I find her._ She imagined Chrom single-mindedly packing his belongings as he avoided eye contact with anyone nearby, before finally being stopped at the castle doors by Frederick's stern glare, before Chrom did anything rash, as he slumped in defeat. She blinked away a few tears before composing herself. It was the anguished denial most of all that got to her, the one that she was all too familiar with, as she had seen it on him far more often than any good man deserved, nevermind someone like him.

And though she desperately wanted to think of something else, in the dark silence of the room all she could think about was how he would react if she were to appear in front of him again, after three long years. It wasn't really a big question as to what she thought would happen: in all likelihood, he'd drop anything he was doing, sprint on over to confirm that it was in fact her, and probably hug her with all of the strength he had in him before breaking down in tears and making a scene of the whole thing. Chrom was very much an open book when it came to how he felt, particularly around her, and while he was getting better about it, keeping composure was not something he was known for, much to the court's (and especially Frederick's) chagrin.

_But what if that wasn't the case?_

Robin immediately held her breath and started fighting against her intuition. No, she was being ridiculous. She knew Chrom must have gone through a lot in the three years since, but there was no reason to believe that he would change so drastically like that. It was, well, _Chrom_ after all, the man she fell in love with, the man who fell in love with her, her lifelong partner, _her other half_. It couldn't be the case. She can't doubt Chrom like this. Chrom wouldn't...

Wouldn't...

Even as she struggled to get the thought out of her head, it refused to leave. She was a tactician, after all, and that meant accounting for as many possibilities as she could, including the worst case scenario. In the past, that had meant taking into consideration the very real chance that an errant arrow or misplaced swing could mean the ignominious death of one of her comrades. Being besieged by Risen from all sides, drowning at the mercy of Valmese foes, burning in lava, losing an entire generation of Ylisseans to war, losing an entire timeline to a fell dragon, she had to think of all of these tragedies and plan as many contingencies and safeguards as possible, no matter how unlikely, since that was the job that Chrom entrusted to her.

As she broke into a cold sweat, she realized that the possibility was more likely than she would admit. Your wife betrays your trust and dies, leaving you alone to run a halidom, raise Lucina, your only child, leaving behind naught but an empty wish you might never live to see, and yet for some reason you still search fruitlessly, against the advice of everyone you know and trust deeply, all for her to show up one day, three long years later, unceremoniously, after abandoning you to fend without her? Would it _really_ be so strange for Chrom to...

The pain returned, and with it came more haggard breaths and drops of sweat mixing with the tears that were flowing down her cheeks. After it subsided, Robin knew that right now she was an utter mess physically and mentally, so she quickly dried her face on her robes, relit a candle, and made her way to a nearby desk to read the pages of her Thoron tome. It was a habit she had picked up during the more droll court days to keep her mind off of whatever the nobles were droning on about during royal meetings. Eventually, she had read the whole thing cover-to-cover so many times that Chrom once joked that she could probably write the whole thing from memory in her sleep. And if she wasn't going to be able to sleep now, the least she could do was lose herself in the intricacies of channeling electricity instead of lingering on the situation at hand.

"Uh... Miss?"

She quickly turned around to see the boy checking in on her, lantern in hand, before promptly burying her nose in the tome so as to hide her teary face. "Oh...uh...yes?"

"Is everything alright?" the boy asked with a concerned tone. "I heard heavy breathing."

"Oh, that's...um...I was feeling a little stuffy, is all. Studying magic can be, uh, exhausting, and I'm not as good as I used to be, so, I had to breathe a bit, is all." She peered over her shoulder, trying her best to minimize how much of her face she showed him.

"Oh," the boy said. "I see. Sorry, just wanted to make sure. Thanks!" he exclaimed as he made his way back down the stairs. As soon as the boy's lantern dimmed out of sight, she quietly sighed and slumped her head against the table. The last thing she needed was the boy to worry about the sorry state she was in. She smiled to herself a bit, though. The boy reminded her a lot of Morgan. They both had the same look of utter excitement in their eyes as she taught them about their favorite subject, they both spoke dotingly of their mother. Heck, the boy seemed to have a bit of a mischievous streak like Morgan, even. Might even be about the same height.

_Morgan..._

Her mind was then shortly racked with a deluge of thoughts about the tactician's young son. Gods, how could she forget Morgan? Robin was the world to him, the one person he adored more than anyone, and she just vanished without so much as giving him a goodbye. And he could be such a forlorn child, too. She couldn't imagine how he would be without her to grow...

She paused. No, wait, there was no Morgan in her timeline. Everything she knew about Morgan was the Morgan of the doomed future. The Morgan who adored the opportunity to share notes, who had shared Lucina's grief in their weakest moments together, who had grown to know and love Chrom like she and Lucina did, who completed the family, just didn't exist in her timeline. Because she died before he could exist. Chrom had no son, and Lucina no brother, for three years, because she had died.

_Lucina had no brother, no mother, for three years._

Out of sheer exhaustion, Robin passed out on the table, her overactive mind finally surrendering to the void.

When Robin woke up hours later, it was to the sound of panicking.


	2. Chapter 2

" _Chrooooooom_ , how much longer do we have to walk like this?"

"Long enough for the horses to catch a break, Lissa."

"Ugh, these stupid horses are getting more of a break than me."

"And how do you plan on travelling so frequently without getting some walking legs, hm?"

"This is what the horses are for!"

Chrom chuckled as he could feel Lissa fuming in annoyance behind him, probably formulating some prank she could play in retaliation when they set up camp later. He glanced over to Frederick, who was pacing forth stoically, as if he didn't hear a thing, and he felt content. Officially, the trio's tour across the continent was for Lissa's sake, as she intended to spend some years away from the court to travel the world with her husband before returning to Ylisse and having Owain. And so it was seen fit that she should see the Ylissean people one more time before leaving for Plegia first (as a sign of goodwill), then other faraway lands.

Which was all true, except Chrom had also intended to treat it as a last tour for the Shepherds, which was why it was just the three of them without a small detachment of guards. He had been entertaining the idea for a while now, and he figured that now was as good as a time as ever, since his work as exalt would only pile up the longer he waited.

He would have waited until he could bring Robin along, of course, but... well, it _was_ only the three of them for a while before he met his wife all those years ago. And even with the notable absence, he still felt refreshed by the whole thing. No formalities, no diplomacy, no fates of entire populations at stake, just him, his sister, and his lieutenant, just like old times. A part of him even wanted to abdicate the throne for the chance to wander the lands like this for the rest of time, but he knew he couldn't do that.

It's what she taught him, after all. No running away from what's right.

Lissa started complaining again. "Chrom, my legs are sore! Where are we even headed, anyway?"

"Patience, Lissa," Chrom chided. "We'll get there soon."

"You don't even know, do you?" Lissa huffed.

Chrom coughed. "Yes, er, well, I'm sure Frederick knows. Right, Frederick?"

Without missing a beat, Frederick replied, "I trust milord and milady remember when I said not two hours ago that we were on the final stretch of the tour."

"Well, there you go, Lissa," Chrom said.

"Final stretch of the tour, he says. Honestly," Lissa sighed. "What is that even supposed to mean? What's left, anyway? Ylisstol and—"

Frederick suddenly looked behind him and glared pointedly at Lissa, who was taken aback before picking up on what was going on.

"And? And what?" Chrom asked.

"Uh...uh...oh, that's funny, I, uh, d-don't remember, heh," Lissa replied. "Oh, s-silly me, being a forgetful princess again..."

"Hm. Frederick?" Chrom turned to Frederick, and while he still had the same expression he always did, it seemed a little more...pained?

"..."

"Frederick, I know for a fact that you of all people haven't forgotten, so what's this about?"

Frederick silently pulled out a map and handed it to Chrom, who accepted it with a quizzical look on his face. Sure enough, at a glance Chrom could tell they had been to almost all the stops they had planned to. In fact, there was only one stop left before they returned to Ylisstol, and that was—

"Southtown."

"Yes, milord." Frederick stated.

Chrom folded up the map and handed it back to Frederick. "I see," Chrom said. It was in a tone that Lissa and Frederick were all too familiar with, a plain, unassuming tone that from Chrom meant he was deliberately concealing his gut feeling, which meant it was about Robin. "You planned this from the start, no?"

"For milord's sake, of course," Frederick replied.

"Mm hm."

A pointed silence overcame the trio for quite a few minutes as the sound of clinking armor masked the sounds of feet and hooves stepping forward. Chrom was facing forward with the slightest of smiles on his face, Frederick was switching between keeping his usual demeanor and glancing to the side to ensure that his Highness was alright, and Lissa was shifting uncomfortably behind the both of them, unsure of how to act.

Eventually, she spoke up. "You know, Chrom, it's okay if you don't want to stay in Southtown with me. I'm sure Frederick wouldn't mind accompanying you back to the capital as soon as we get there. Right, Frederick?"

"I would have no objections," Frederick noted.

Chrom shook his head. "No, no, that won't be necessary. Besides being unfair for the people there, I have..." Chrom looked pensively at the ground. "...things I'd like to do there as well."

Lissa followed up. "Uh...by things, do you mean—"

"Milord, I would advise against continuing your search," Frederick cautioned. "Southtown was the first place we checked after the battle, and our efforts yielded naught." Lissa shot him her own glare for the remark, but he remained unflinching.

"No, that's not what I... Well, perhaps a little, but it's more about...moving on." Chrom paused. "For Lucina's sake. She's getting too old and smart for me to hand her off to the caretakers and scour the ends of the earth, just so I can bring her mother back. If I'm to devote myself fully to being her father, I need to be at my best. I need to change. I need to make as much peace with myself as I can."

On that note, Chrom stretched his arms and got ahead of the impending silence, saying, "It seems like it'll get dark soon. Should we set up camp for the night, Shepherds?"

* * *

While a heavy mood lingered over the trio as they pitched their tents and prepped the campfire, it was quickly alleviated with a quick hunting session, thanks in no small part to Chrom and Lissa having tons of fun at Frederick's expense. It was hard not to when the stern lieutenant couldn't help but contort his face into a profound grimace upon seeing a bear during the hunt, then react to every bite of bear meat with histrionics that would put any troupe of actors to shame.

"If you'll - _ugh_ \- pardon me, milord, I fear I have to make myself scarce," Frederick sputtered out as he stood, holding his stomach.

"Of course, Frederick. Just take care to not lose too much of your dinner; wouldn't want to eat more, now, would we?" Chrom joked.

Frederick could only groan in reply as he shambled off into the dark, leaving Chrom and Lissa around the campfire to laugh at Frederick's predicament.

"Do you think we ever give him too hard of a time?" Lissa asked.

"I don't think so. I trust him to tell me if it ever gets too much, and honestly, sometimes I think he wants me to lean onto him more."

"I suppose." Lissa laughed. "Though wasn't he getting Robin to help him with bear meat years ago? You'd think he'd be over this by now."

"Yes, well, as much as a miracle worker Robin is, she can't do everything. Even if it really feels like it sometimes."

Wordlessly, the siblings stared at the sparks of the fire as they floated off, high into the starry night sky, fading as quickly as they formed.

"Chrom, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"I know you said you weren't looking for her earlier, but... do you think she's still... you know..."

"Alive?"

"Yeah."

Chrom slumped forward and sighed. "Yes. I do think she's somewhere in this world, alive. I believe it just as strongly as I did when I started the search. It's just that..." He sighed again. "I know that the right thing to do is move on. I do. But I can't help but think I would be betraying her, somehow, by giving up when I didn't know for sure. Then I think maybe I was too late and she's someone completely different now. Or maybe she's reincarnated as someone else. Or maybe she's even trying to not be found. Maybe she's moved on, herself."

Lissa was shocked. "Chrom! Don't talk like that! You and I both know Robin would never do that!"

"I know, I know. Naga knows I've spent enough years thinking that she'd show up at the castle walls any day now. Just, out of nowhere, exactly like I see her every time I close my eyes, the same person who...did the right thing all those years ago." Chrom laughed bitterly. "I'm lucky to have some of her decisiveness rub off on me. It's incredible, really. Not a soul alive could blame her if she stood aside and let me land that final blow, but she did the right thing anyway, without hesitation. I can only hope to be as strong as she is one day."

Chrom leaned back, gazing into the stars, then continued thinking out loud. "Maybe I've just felt weak all this time. Weak, and a hypocrite. I've talked so much about how anything can change, that we can fight fate, and I even helped do it, and yet there I was, perhaps the most powerful man in Ylisse, unable to change the fate of one woman, the person who was the most important to me, my other half. Maybe it's taken me all this time to learn that I need to focus on what I can do right now, and preserve the invisible ties we forged together, even if she's not by my side. To appreciate those who made me who I am, and appreciate who I do have with me while they're here."

Chrom sighed. "Maybe it's time that I live in the present without worrying about forgetting the past."

Suddenly, Chrom felt his little sister wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder, hugging him as hard as she could. "Love you, Chrom."

Before long, Chrom found himself raising his arms to hug her back, holding back tears all the while. "Love you too, Lissa. And thank you, truly, for being with me all these years..."

Lissa pulled back her head and smiled. "Hey now, isn't there someone else you should be thanking first?"

Chrom composed himself long enough to smile back. "Yes...well...I should save something for tomorrow, right?"

"Whatever you say."

A few minutes passed before Frederick returned from his trip, and shortly afterward, the campfire was put out and everyone retreated into their tents for the night.

* * *

_"A marker?" Robin asked._

_"Yes! Nothing big or too fancy, of course, but I figured something to commemorate the spot would only be appropriate, so I was thinking about making some kind of small marker myself, and—"_

_Robin began laughing uproariously and uncontrollably, as Chrom stood in front of her, frozen with a look of utter confusion. "Uh...Robin? What's so funny?"_

_As she wiped tears from her eyes, Robin explained, "Oh, nothing, I'm just...imagining you getting so worked up about this and...pfft...just smashing every rock you try to work with, just, just a pile of rubble as you...you..." Robin burst into laughter again._

_Chrom indignantly objected, "It's not as if I'm incapable of doing it."_

_"Ah yes," Robin interjected with a teasing grin. "With those_ big _,_ strong _muscles and delicate precision you're famous for."_

_Chrom deflated a bit. "But, I thought it would mean more if I did it myself."_

_Robin composed herself before hugging her husband, smiling. "There's no shame in asking someone else to make it for the occasion, my love. I'm sure the artisans would be thankful for royal patronage."_

_Chrom sighed. "You know it's not the same..."_

_"It's perfectly alright, Chrom." Robin took her husband's chin in her hand as she looked at him pouting in defeat. "You have nothing to prove. You could carve our names into a nearby tree like a lovesick teenager and I would love you all the same. All that matters is that whatever you do, you do it in earnestness, like you always do."_

_Chrom suddenly smirked. "Oh, is that why you gave me your portrait of me for my birthday?"_

_"You know very well that was meant for your eyes only," Robin chided, lightly whacking Chrom on the shoulder._

_Chrom pulled back and rubbed his hand against his chin. "Well, carving our names_ is _something I could do..."_

_"You're thinking of carving it with Falchion, aren't you?"_

_"I can't very well use my hands, can I?"_

_Robin embraced him again as she kissed him, chuckling as she remarked, "You are such a sentimental oaf, and I love you all the more for it."_

_Chrom smiled back and returned the kiss. "Well, forgive this oaf for thinking we should celebrate the spot the royal couple met and fell in love."_

_"Anything you decide on will be more than enough, Chrom. I'm just looking forward to spending a day alone with my wonderful daughter and the man I have the pleasure of sharing my life with."_

_"After Grima is dealt with, of course," Chrom noted with a sigh._

_"Of course. Think of it as one more thing worth fighting fate for, hm?"_

* * *

The next morning's approach to Southtown proceeded uneventfully, until Lissa spotted a plume of smoke rising in the distance.

"Uh, Frederick, that's Southtown, right?"

Frederick tensed up. "Unquestionably, yes, milady."

In a worried tone, Lissa said, "Um, do you think the town's on...you know...fire?"

"It's looking likely, yes," Chrom chimed in. "We should pick up our pace. It doesn't look to be too serious yet, thankfully, but—"

Before Chrom could finish his thought, the three of them spotted errant yellow streaks emanating with regularity from the center of the town. As they got closer and closer for a better look, something about them seemed...familiar to Chrom.

"Lissa...is that..."

"Thunder magic," Lissa answered. "Thoron." Chrom clenched his jaw. "Chrom, there's a battle happening there."

Without a moment to waste, Chrom climbed aboard his steed's back and yelled, "Shepherds, to arms!" Lissa and Frederick followed suit, and before long, the three of them were racing their way on horseback into the small town to perform their duty.

And on the way, Chrom couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was off about the whole thing.


	3. Chapter 3

Robin could already smell the smoke in the air before she looked out the window, so seeing a fire ravaging a nearby tower was unsurprising, if shocking. And while the small town was sparse enough that the fire spreading to other nearby buildings wasn't a guarantee, she caught glimpses of other, smaller fires scattered about in her view, which meant the likelihood this was an accident was essentially zero.

And sure enough, at the base of the tower she saw a sizable company of brigands brandishing their weapons, spreading out to loot and pillage as much as they could before, presumably, they would let the whole town burn. Axe-wielding barbarians and berserkers seemed to make up the majority of the raiding forces, with a smattering of archers, thieves, and sorcerers rounding out the ranks. The sorcerers in particular, Robin noticed, were wielding fire tomes, which was all the confirmation she needed that they were behind the fires.

As she paused to consider the best way to proceed, she was interrupted by the increasing intensity of the screams and panicking of the residents, and it took watching a man being chased into an alley by a barbarian wildly swinging his axe to emphasize that she didn't have the luxury of formulating a plan. She had to act, now, if she wanted to stop the raiders from razing the town and its people to the ground.

After putting on her breastplate and greaves and throwing on her robe, she grabbed her Thoron tome from the desk and rummaged through her robe pockets to double check her belongings. She found nothing but the hair ties she had stashed yesterday, and after a brief moment of consideration, she quickly redid her twintails and dashed down the stairs. (If she could leverage her image to, if nothing else, draw attention away from the townspeople, she figured it was worth a shot.)

Robin would have dashed out the door right then, had she not made eye contact with the boy, who was hiding, curled up behind the inn counter and clutching his Thunder tome close to his chest. As she approached him and kneeled down behind the counter, the boy looked at her with utter panic and fear in his eyes and stuttered out, "W-what am I g-going to do, Miss?"

"You're going to stay right here until everything calms down," Robin calmly replied. "You're not going to peek your head to see anything, and you're not going to do anything with that tome, understood? I'm going to deal with this, and when I'm done, I'll say that everything's okay. Until then, stay put."

He loosened his posture a bit. "Are...are you sure you can deal with...all of them?" He held up his tome. "I-I'm sure I can—"

"No, not under any circumstances," she interjected. "It's too dangerous. I need you to promise me to leave this to me and not try to use magic, right now. P—"

Robin suddenly caught herself struggling for breath again as she stared at the floor of the inn, the pain once again making itself known, before clutching her chest and looking back at the boy. "Puh...promise...me...okay?"

Although a halfhearted and doubtful "okay" was all she got out of him, she knew she couldn't afford to waste any more time. Throwing him a pained smile, she braced herself and got back onto her feet, then made her way out the door, glancing back only once to confirm that the boy remained hiding.

* * *

Robin wasted little time and fired off Thoron at two sorcerers the second she stepped foot in the square. As their cohorts recoiled in surprise, she exploited the brief lull by running to a thief about to ransack a nearby building, blasting him, and arming herself with his steel sword. She knew that her one tome wasn't enough to fight off any sizable enemy force, so making use of enemy weapons would be crucial for victory.

Soon enough, she was beset by fire blasts from more sorcerers, and while blocking the magic with the sword, she could make out a small group of barbarians and berserkers advancing toward her position. (Diversion successful, evidently.) When the one closest to her yelled out a war cry and leapt into the air, preparing an overhead blow, she rolled out of the way and slashed him twice before dodging another blast of fire. It then became clear that the small group was actually much larger than she had thought; any plans she had of kiting the close-ranged enemies went out the window when they were closing in on her from all sides.

As such, all she could do was dodge everything the brigands threw at her, be it axe swings, flung short axes, or fire magic, and counterattack with a rapidly deteriorating sword. Not helping matters was that the stress of constantly rolling and backstepping and slashing and stabbing was also exacerbating how often that damned wave of sudden pain was rearing its ugly head. And every spike of pain meant an axe blow or magic blast she had no choice but to tank head on, all while steadying herself and getting back into the thick of combat, time after time after time.

Eventually, Robin completely lost track of how long she was going at this, only getting a feel for progress by the number of dead bodies she had to jump around while scrambling for position. Worse yet, she had lost track of how many times she had struck with her sword, so she was caught off-guard when it broke after pulling it out from a barbarian's gut. Thankfully, the numbers were starting to thin, which gave the quick-thinking grandmaster an opportunity to break to the right and leap over the canal, fire off a mid-air Thoron blast at the brigands who paused at the canal's edge, and roll backward right into another thief who was looting in solitude. One point-blank beam of thunder later, she was rearmed and dashing toward the remaining sorcerers.

Once all the sorcerers in play were felled, it was merely a matter of returning to her original plan and kiting the remaining brigands, including any thieves who had decided to bolster the rapidly declining enemy force. After she pierced the last foe with a Thoron beam straight through the chest, Robin stood still, panting in exhaustion, looking around to see if there was another waiting in ambush. When she confirmed that the only sound she could hear was the crackling of the fires and her own huffing and puffing, she sat herself on the ground, propping herself up weakly with her hands.

She had a brief coughing fit from all the smoke, which then motivated her to remove her dented and worn-down armor; it was clear that whatever protection they offered now came at the cost of considerable mobility and stamina. Robin then surveyed the extent of the carnage, which by her count was about twenty or thirty dead brigands scattered about the blood-covered town square. On her end, while she was covered in bruises and sores, she was otherwise relatively unscathed, which was nothing short of a miracle given all that she had just gone through. She breathed in, then breathed out.

The whizz of an arrow interrupted any other thoughts she had. After realizing she had not been shot, Robin turned her head around and up to follow the sound of the impact, and sure enough, she saw an arrow plunged into the building above and behind her.

An arrow that, evidently, compromised the structure of the building enough to cause a large, burning piece of debris to break off and fall, right on top of Robin.

While she managed to roll away, it wasn't soon enough to prevent her right limbs from getting smashed by the falling debris and the right side of her robe from getting singed. She grimaced in agony, holding and massaging the wounded arm and leg, unable to think about anything but the searing pain that, for once, she could definitely place.

Unfortunately, the whizz of another arrow that planted itself much closer to Robin reminded her that the initial arrow had to be shot by someone. Namely, an archer that was setting up in the upper floor of a building not yet on fire, and before long she saw a handful of other archers set up in other buildings, all primed to shoot at a sitting duck.

Gritting her teeth to fight off the pain, she pulled out her Thoron tome, now sapped of much of its energy, and fired a beam toward the archer's window. Unfortunately, her exhaustion and her right arm's injury meant she couldn't steady her hand, so she whiffed considerably and the beam sailed past the building's roof into the sky. A subsequent shot with her left hand wasn't much better, this time hitting the building but a bit below the window she was aiming for. Combined with a sudden need to avoid the arrows that were being shot at her with in succession, Robin could only manage to retaliate haphazardly as she dodged arrows by diving and rolling around. Thoron blasts lit up the square as she covered just about every inch of air above her with stray beams, most soaring off in utterly unpredictable directions as Robin prioritized defense.

She was operating off of pure instinct at this point, not once stopping to see if any of her awkward attacks were successful. She could only afford to listen to the thunk of the arrows as her guide, and even when they ever so slowly came to a complete halt, she was still throwing her body in random directions for seconds before realizing that her manic volley of Thoron blasts did their job.

Robin was a complete wreck. While she had avoided taking an arrow, she was lying face up on the floor, drenched in sweat, battered and bruised, chest palpitating, her right arm and leg still messed up. And despite all of that, she could still bring herself up into a kneeling position and stabilize her breathing, in and out, enough to crawl on her knees, slowly, over to the inn, to tell the boy that everything was over.

And she would have, had he not run out preemptively to try and help her in her injured state. And she would have scolded him for not listening, had she not instead decided to give him a pass this one time. And she would have, had he not suddenly looked straight forward in panic, opened his Thunder tome, and fired a blast right above her head.

When she turned around, she saw an assassin shrug off the impotent blast and aim a bow directly at the boy. Without thinking, she used every bit of strength she had left to throw herself in front of the boy and hold her spent Thoron tome right in front of her, as the arrow sprung from the assassin's bow.

"...Back off..."

_Thunk._

The arrow pierced through the book, right into Robin's stomach. Her vision turned red, and all she could see was a silhouetted figure in front of her.

She held up her hand, arms shaking, legs trembling.

"...Here's...how it's...done..."

A line of yellow shot forth, right at the silhouette, which slumped to the ground and stopped moving.

She fell to her hands and knees. She could feel the blood dripping. She could feel her mind shutting down.

She breathed in, she breathed out. She breathed in, she breathed out. She breathed in, she breathed out.

She started to feel like everything would be okay. Her breath was shallow, but steady. She'd be okay. She'd beat the odds.

The pain returned. She collapsed.

She breathed in. She heard the patter of footsteps. She breathed out.

She breathed in. She heard a voice telling everyone to clear a path. She breathed out.

She breathed in.

She lost consciousness.


	4. Chapter 4

The extent of the chaos erupting in Southtown was evident to the Shepherds as soon as they arrived and dismounted. Multiple buildings were on fire, townspeople were making mad dashes to the outskirts of town in every direction, and ruffians were spotted roaming throughout the streets, taking everything that seemed valuable and smashing up everything else. To that end, it was decided that dealing with the brigands was the highest priority, so the trio combed through the streets of Southtown, striking down the odd raider or group of raiders with little trouble. Curiously, most of them appeared to be acting frantically and were caught out running away from the town's central square.

The Shepherds doubled back a few times before Chrom sheathed Falchion and the others followed his lead. "It looks like we've dealt with most of them. Frederick, Lissa, attend to the wounded and fallen. I'll be gathering the others to help put out the fires." They both nodded, and soon the group split and dashed off in different directions: Chrom to the town border, where most of the residents were seeking refuge, and Frederick and Lissa to the town square, where it seemed like most of the trouble took place.

It didn't take long for the two to see the full extent of the carnage. Every single inch of the square showed signs of bloody conflict. The ground was littered with stray weapons and corpses that were in pools of blood. Bits of charred debris and ashes were piled up on the other side of the bridges. No surface went unharmed, be it the hack marks on the ground level wooden displays, the bloodstains that covered the sides of the bridges, the arrows that populated one particular area of the square like flowers in a garden, or the magic residue that covered the upper walls of every building facing the square. The only evidence that people actually lived here was the occasional civilian who returned to also take stock of the destruction, stepping awkwardly around bodies and salvaging what they could.

"Gods, Frederick... Where do we even start?" Lissa asked, pulling out her staff. Though she couldn't spot a dead body that didn't seem to belong to a brigand, the prospect of looking for casualties was daunting nonetheless.

"Addressing the townspeople who are here would be the logical starting point, milady," Frederick replied. For his part, Frederick was more concerned with possible stragglers who might be hiding, waiting to exploit the tentative peace, and further potential danger from the ongoing fire. Remaining vigilant, he escorted Lissa around to talk to the folks in the area, and thankfully, it appeared as if there weren't any serious civilian casualties, save a shopkeeper who tripped over a body trying to hastily inspect his wares. (A small burst of healing magic proved to be more than sufficient.)

It was then Lissa saw a boy scuttling his way toward her, flailing his arms wildly and hyperventilating so hard that he could barely speak. When he stopped in front of her to keel over and catch his breath, she asked what was wrong to which he could only look at her, fraught with panic, and gesture toward another body in a pool of blood, still heaving too hard to form words.

Lissa glanced over, and took a few steps forward to catch a better look before stopping dead in her tracks, nearly dropping her staff. A body with white twintails in a dark purple robe, with ornate, blue shoulder armor, edges and cuffs lined with gold, and lighter purple streaks throughout, particularly on the sleeve, right through the eyes of Grima.

" _Frederick,_ " Lissa said in a hushed tone. "Is that..." Her voice trailed off in sheer disbelief, waiting for Frederick to correct her and chide her for seeing things. Yet when Frederick diverted his attention to see what Lissa was going on about, his stunned silence was deafening in Lissa's ears, and in her shock she could barely make out Frederick stammering out, "Yes...that is..."

Instantly, Lissa bolted past the boy and to the body, almost instinctively shouting " _Clear a path, everyone!_ " as she deftly weaved around the bodies on the path. She then kneeled beside the body and gently turned it around until it was face up. A brief look at the distressingly pale face confirmed it was in fact Robin, and though Lissa could feel the wetworks coming, she held back to survey the rest of the injuries first.

After confirming, thank Naga, that Robin was breathing, she started talking. "Robin? Robin, it's me, Lissa. Can you hear me? Are you okay?" Lissa lightly rustled Robin's shoulders, but when the only response was Robin's belabored breathing, Lissa dejectedly knew that Robin was completely unresponsive. Still, Lissa persevered in her examination. Robin's right limbs were clearly mangled, and pulling off the singed robe confirmed that she had sustained burns and heavy bruising, possibly even fractures. There was light bruising everywhere else on her body, and right in the middle of her gut, there was an arrow, skewering her Thoron tome and her gut, pinning the two together as blood was actively flowing from the puncture wound.

Seeing Frederick arrive, Lissa quickly put him to the task of removing the tome from the arrow, taking care as to not disturb the arrow and cause more harm. Both of them held their breath and concentrated, Frederick gently yet precisely sawing away with a small blade from the book's spine to the arrow hole, Lissa holding the book as steady as she could and observing both the arrow shaft's movement and Robin's breathing. Once the book was removed, Frederick moved back as Lissa channeled all of her healing staff's magic into Robin, closing her eyes with grim determination and expending the staff for everything it had. A few seconds later, the green glow of healing magic subsided, and Lissa checked her handiwork. The arrow wound needed further attention, of course, but from inspection the bruising and burning on the right side of Robin's body was at least visually better.

Still, Lissa knew time was of the essence. "Frederick, we need to get her to a physician. _Now._ "

* * *

Frederick stood upright with perfect posture in his chair, hands in his lap, staring straight ahead with the serious look he sported more often than not. While outwardly he looked no different than he usually did, inwardly his mind was racing. It had been for a while, ever since he and Lissa brought the unconscious tactician to the hospital he was sitting in. Predictably, it was empty, so Lissa had tasked him with retrieving the local physician. He did it dutifully without hesitation, as he always did, but while he was inquiring for the physician's location, a profound pang of terror had stirred deep inside. He wondered if it was the stress piling up from the day's events combined with his current predicament. After getting the physician up to speed (and helping him get over the shock of having to operate on the returning queen), Frederick was asked to be on standby while Lissa assisted with the surgery, and at the moment, he certainly didn't feel useful to anyone.

That line of thought was quickly abandoned when Lissa walked into the room, prompting Frederick to stand at attention. She stumbled into the nearest seat, hands on her knees, with a thousand-yard stare.

"Milady?"

Lissa sighed, then mumbled out, "She's, it's, it's out. The arrow's out. It's fine." She sighed again. "It's fine." Her lack of eye contact indicated to Frederick that she was talking to herself more than anything.

He followed up. "And Her Highness?"

Lissa caught her breath, then broke down, unable to hold it back anymore, sobbing into her hands. Frederick could only divert his eyes in response. If he was stressed out, he couldn't imagine how difficult it was for Lissa to keep her composure for as long as she did.

She eventually settled down enough to give Frederick a proper answer. "She...her injuries are fine, she lost a lot of blood but she should be fine. For that, at least. She's not...waking up, but she's breathing." She sighed, then looked up. "It must've been her that did all that, right, Frederick? In the square? With all the bodies and the Thoron blasts? It _must_ have been her."

"So it seems, milady," Frederick replied.

Lissa snorted in disbelief. "Gods, she's a miracle worker. Everyone in town owes their life to her. And now, all we can do is hope she wakes up soon, before **—** "

Suddenly, Lissa looked up at Frederick, eyes wide in sheer horror, and Frederick at once knew that she realized what he had been fearing subconsciously.

" _How do we tell Chrom?_ "

* * *

Chrom had run himself ragged rounding up folks and putting out the fires. The people were by and large willing to answer the exalt's call, but the most taxing part was running all over town, directing groups to a given fire while simultaneously checking on other groups and directly putting some out himself. There had been some close calls where fires spread or reignited unexpectedly, but by sundown the situation was contained. Although more still needed to be done to get things for the townsfolk back to normal, Chrom figured that everyone, himself included, deserved to rest for mitigating the most immediate disaster. After a brief speech to the populace, he inquired about the location of the other Shepherds and set out to reconvene with them.

When he entered the hospital, Lissa and Frederick were sitting in their seats, silently staring at the ground, contemplating just how to break the news. Frederick heard Chrom's footsteps and promptly looked up to acknowledge his presence with a stoic expression, and his rustling in turn clued Lissa in, who briefly met her brother's eyes before awkwardly staring to the side.

"Frederick. Lissa."

"Milord. I take it that the fires have been extinguished?"

"It certainly seems so," Chrom replied. "Hopefully the people will sleep better, knowing that their houses will not burn to the ground. I take it that most of the wounded have been healed, yes? I didn't see anyone seriously injured out there."

"Correct, milord," Frederick said. "No reports of innocent casualties, either."

Lissa squirmed in her seat.

Chrom sighed in relief. "We lucked out, then. Good. Whoever dealt with all those brigands in the square must have done a great job at protecting the town."

Frederick nodded. "I concur."

Chrom took a seat to briefly rest his aching legs, and the other Shepards followed suit. He then noticed Lissa avoiding his gaze, staring into the adjacent room. "Is there something wrong, Lissa?"

"H-huh?" Lissa was caught off-guard. "O-oh, it's nothing, it's just that, um, I'm worried about the patient."

"The patient?" Chrom asked. "Is that why the two of you are here? Where's the doctor?"

"Oh, he had to step out to attend to something. He'll be back soon. We, uh, found someone who needed serious help, so we brought them here. Is all."

"I see. Will they be alright?"

"What? Oh, yeah, they'll be...fine. They're sleeping right now, so, hopefully everything should be fine by morning. Hopefully." Lissa was really hoping that Chrom didn't notice her sweating.

Chrom nodded. "That's good, then. All things considered, I think this will end well for everyone. Now then, Shepherds, should we pack it in at camp?"

Lissa stood up a bit too eagerly. "Oh, yeah, good idea, I'm sooooooooo tired from today. C'mon, Frederick, we should **—** "

"I think we should address something else first, milord." Frederick stood up with an unusually grim face, confusing Chrom and horrifying Lissa.

"Frederick? What's this about?"

Frederick steeled himself. No use in dancing around it, he had to be straight and to the point, like he always was. After a brief pause, Frederick stated, "The patient in the other room is Her Highness."

As Chrom leapt out of his seat and a loud " _What?_ " escaped his lips, Frederick quickly interjected, "Milord, I would advise against seeing her immediately."

"Frederick, what are you _talking_ about? Robin's right there! She's finally back! You think I can just _stay_ here because you told me to? Why would I? Lissa just said she was fine, right?" Chrom was getting so worked up that he felt a big, goofy smile form on his face, all at the mere prospect of seeing his beloved wife again.

The smile quickly faded away as he saw Frederick look at Lissa, who in turn guiltily looked at Chrom and said, "Chrom, Robin hasn't been awake since we found her. She's breathing, but...we haven't been able to wake her up at all. She's not responding to anything."

"So? We can just wait for her to wake up, right? It doesn't matter how long it takes, we can wait. _I_ can wait. I've waited for three years, I can wait a little longer. She's alive, isn't she?" Chrom retorted.

Lissa closed her eyes, then let out a deep breath. "Chrom, she can't eat or drink. If she doesn't wake up in three days, then..."

The weight of the situation hit Chrom all at once. He collapsed onto his knees, breathing heavily, as the other two Shepherds quickly caught him. He sat there, stewing in the reality of it all and hyperventilating for a few minutes, before he paused and returned his companions' worried looks with a frantic expression of sheer desperation. "And there's nothing we can do?"

Lissa nodded sadly in response. In an agonized voice, Chrom asked, "Can I at least see her, then?"

Lissa looked to Frederick for approval, and as the lieutenant stood up and stepped back, Chrom took his cue and wobbled back onto his feet, holding onto Lissa for support. The three of them then proceeded into the other room, where Chrom immediately sat down on a bedside stool, Lissa and Frederick behind him, to observe Robin. Clad in the beige undershirt he was all too familiar with, she was almost exactly as he had remembered, every day, for the past three years. The way the strands of her white twintails would clump together when she laid down, the calluses in her hands from all the ceaseless work she did for the Shepherds and Ylisse day in and day out, it was all the same, save for the mark of Grima that was no longer present on her right hand, and her skin. On top of being much paler, it wasn't warm and soft, like it felt everytime they woke up together in the morning, but colder and clammier, like something else he was familiar with, something he dared not compare her to right now.

Tentatively, Chrom took Robin's right hand in both of his, first rubbing the back of her hand with his thumbs, then kissing it, before looking at her face out of some hope that right there and then, Robin would open her eyes like something out of an old tale and hold him tightly, bringing back a warmth that had been missing from his life for too long. Instead, her eyes remained closed, and she only continued breathing, in and out, as Chrom slumped forward and sighed in defeat.

"You know, Chrom, I'm sure the physician wouldn't mind if we stayed for the night, since...you know," Lissa offered.

Chrom could only mutter in response, "I think I'd like that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, last chapter ended up being longer than I thought. This is the first half, last half should be up relatively soon. My bad.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so the last half was actually two (long-ish?) chapters. Turns out I'm kinda bad at estimating stuff like this.  
> I went ahead and finished both, though, so no more waiting.

_Chrom was greeted with the familiar sight of Robin hunched over a makeshift desk when he threw open the tent flap. Normally, the tactician would catch wind of his particularly unsubtle entrance and get up to greet him, but evidently she was too preoccupied with something to notice, so sensing an opportunity, Chrom tiptoed on over and hugged her from behind._

_Robin yelped out in surprise, before realizing who it was that caught her off-guard and reaching up to caress his chin. "Cheeky, today, are we?"_

_"It's not quite like my tactician to be surprised like this," Chrom teased._

_"Well, perhaps when your tactician is busy working out the logistics of weapon stocking, even she can miss a lumbering lug of a man sneaking up on her," Robin playfully responded._

_Chrom chuckled. "Is that why I'm here, then? To protect you from some Risen who'll convince you to empty our coffers on magic tomes?"_

_"I'm not above taking advice from a Risen, I'll have you know." The two laughed between themselves briefly before Robin let out a sigh and went back to her calculations, now with Chrom resting his head on her shoulder and peeking._

_"Cherche said she'd like to try using lances, but we're low on the bronze ones she needs for practice, since everyone else moved onto the stronger ones. I'd sell some of our weaker bows, but I've seen Gaius take a shine to them, so I'm limited there. We could always use more staves, as well..." Robin leaned back, staring at the tent ceiling. "Maybe we'll get lucky and find a band of brigands, just walking around with bronze lances for us to use. Raided some poor blacksmith or something."_

_Chrom's upside-down face entered Robin's view, clearly smirking. "Raided a blacksmith?"_

_"That's enough from you, you cheeky man. Don't think you're exempt from this; I know for a fact that Frederick's been getting on your case about your lance training. Don't make me drag him in here to lecture you about relying too much on your big ol' sword again."_

_Chrom's smirk only grew in size. "And here I thought you liked my 'big ol' sword'. Guess I was wrong, then."_

_"Honestly, Chrom, your tactician happens to love you just like you love her and now you have no problems coming on like a wyvern in heat? You're insufferable," Robin chided, though the blush that was spreading across her face wasn't helping her case._

_Chrom leaned down to peck her on the cheek, then hugged her a bit tighter. "Maybe I just thought my hard-working love could use a break."_

_"You always say I could use a break, love." Robin reached up to caress Chrom's chin once more. "But I suppose it is a bit of a trip to the nearest weapon shop, anyway..."_

* * *

For once, Chrom was up in the morning before Frederick was, and the first thing he did was rush to Robin's side. He knew that the brief thrill of anticipation he felt on his way there was entirely unfounded, but his disappointment was still crushing nonetheless when he found her still lying there, still unconscious, still pale, still breathing. It hurt just to see her like this, but Chrom couldn't bring himself to look away. There was still time for her to wake up, and when she did he had to be by her side, to tell her that everything was over, that they could finally, truly celebrate and relax, that she had done it. That she would go down in history as not only the savior of Ylisse, but the entire world. Chrom knew she wouldn't care too much, and would probably find some other problem to throw herself at, but she deserved some praise for her bravery, didn't she?

Maybe he was just a little tired of all the praise he had gotten over the years. All the congratulations he received from everyone, from village maidens to visiting diplomats, only served as another reminder that the real hero was gone, and he couldn't find her.

The telltale clinking of armor behind Chrom told him his lieutenant had entered the room. "Frederick?"

"Morning, milord," was the sharp reply. "Do you intend to stay beside Her Highness?"

Chrom got up from his seat and faced Frederick, sighing, "Yes, yes, it'll do me or her no good to just wait around for something to happen. I know, Frederick. I'll head out to help rebuild."

To Chrom's surprise, Frederick raised his eyebrow. "It was not my intention to persuade you to do so, milord, but if that is your wish, then I will not stop you."

Chrom blinked, then awkwardly stared at the ground. "Oh." Sometimes he forgot that it wasn't Frederick's job to be a contrarian.

"Do you still wish to assist the townsfolk?"

Chrom held a hand behind his neck in brief contemplation, then sighed. "Well, what I said is still true. It wouldn't be a good look for an exalt to stay put when his people need him, would it?"

Frederick nodded, then added, "I think the people would be understanding in this case, milord."

"No, no, it's fine. It would do me some good to think about something else instead of her. She will still be here when I return after a day's work." He took a deep breath in, then a deep breath out. "No running away from what's right."

Frederick pondered Chrom's words in silence, before replying, "In that case, there are some carpenters who could use your assistance in transporting some lumber from the yard, then..."

* * *

In truth, all Chrom could think about throughout the day was Robin. It was bad immediately in the aftermath of the battle against Grima, when just about everything and anything reminded him of Robin, and he thought he had gotten over it, but her reappearance caused a wave of memories to overtake him. Every book he saw reminded him of her spending hours upon hours in the royal library, poring over every single legible page she could get her hands on, every bit of food reminded him of the meals they shared as they and the rest of the Shepherds ate, drank, and bantered each night on the road. Robin never once left his mind during all the long hours he spent helping Southtown recover from the incident. He even half-expected Robin to surprise him by showing up randomly, out of nowhere, while he was working. Perhaps that was it, he thought. Perhaps fate would only grant Robin's return to the land of living if Chrom demonstrated that he could control himself and do his duty as an exalt. So by the time the sun started setting, perhaps it was no surprise that he took the first opportunity to call it a day and return to his wife's side.

Alas, when he did, he was greeted by a Robin who was a little bit paler, a little bit colder, and breathing a little bit slower. Even if he on some level expected this, Chrom went to bed that night in a much fouler mood than before.

* * *

_The hours spent sweating buckets out of fear for Robin and their baby's life all melted away, as Chrom sat in bed next to Robin, who was nursing a newly born Lucina. He was seconds away from busting down the door to the room to ensure that everything was okay, but thankfully, when the midwives emptied the room and allowed the new father to come in, both of them were perfectly healthy, if perhaps very tired. There were a million things Chrom wanted to say to Robin, but most went forgotten by the desire to sit there, watching his wife raise their daughter, a rare moment of quiet._

_Suddenly, Robin started giggling to herself. "What is it?" Chrom asked._

_"If you told me when we met on that fateful day that I would bear your child just a few years later, I'd think you were a madman, and yet..." Robin trailed off, looking down at Lucina._

_"I can hardly believe it myself," Chrom replied. "Never saw myself as the settling down type, but I suppose this is it, isn't it?" He gently caressed Lucina's face. "This is my future. Our future. Our chance to build an even better future."_

_Robin faced her husband, then realized what he was talking about. "You're thinking of your own father, aren't you."_

_Chrom nodded, eyes steeled with resolve. "If nothing else, I swear on my life that I will be for Lucina everything my old man never was to Emm, to Lissa, to me. No pointless warmongering, no needless suffering. I pray the day never comes where she has to take up a blade for my sins."_

_He was interrupted from his little speech by a kiss on his cheeks. "You'll be a great father, love. No need to worry."_

_He smiled and kissed back. "As long as little Lucina has you as a great mother alongside me."_

_"Well, I've certainly no plans to run away, if it makes you feel better. Short of the world coming to an end," Robin joked._

_"Or an invasion," Chrom grimly replied._

_"Chrom?"_

_Chrom, realizing what he let slip, quickly put his hands up to clarify to a concerned Robin. "Oh, no, it's nothing, Robin. There's nothing happening at the moment to Ylisse. I promise." He hoped that she'd let it slide._

_She, of course, didn't. "Chrom, you don't just say things like that without a reason. I know I'm tired, but I would have to learn eventually."_

_Chrom sighed in defeat, then nervously scratched his upper arm. "There's been...rumblings from Western Ferox lately. Something about Valmese traders and merchants cutting off contact, or things of that nature. No one knows for sure if it means anything at all, but, you know..."_

_"Ah. If that's the case, we'll have to trust that Flavia will be quick to let us know if anything happens."_

_"I know, but everything changes when you have a child to think of, doesn't it?" Chrom looked into young Lucina's eyes, focusing on the Brand of the Exalt in her left one. "I suppose I can only hope that if anything serious happens, we won't be away from Lucina for long."_

* * *

Chrom woke up on the second day, being pestered by Frederick, who was going on about some meeting or other. Chrom paid no attention, shoving Frederick out of the way, and planting himself firmly by Robin's bedside once again. Her condition was worsening, but that didn't matter to Chrom. It didn't matter what condition she was in, he wasn't leaving her side until she woke up. He held her hand in his, and refused to let go. Maybe he had the wrong idea yesterday. Maybe she'd only wake if he proved his devotion by never leaving her side again, for any reason. It certainly was what he wanted to do, at any rate. He had let her go before; he wasn't letting her go again.

As with yesterday, he heard Frederick enter behind him. "Frederick, I'm not going today. Please leave us alone."

"That is all good and well, milord, but I implore you to at least meet with—"

Chrom furiously looked over his shoulder to scowl at Frederick. "Do I look like I need to have an audience right now?"

Unfazed, Frederick stated, "It is the boy who found Her Highness two days ago, milord."

Chrom paused, then let out a massive sigh. "Very well," he said, holding his head in exasperation. "Take me to him."

* * *

"And what happened the next day?"

"Uh, I, uh..." The boy shuffled anxiously in his seat, completely unprepared for the idea of talking one-on-one with the exalt. In his family's own inn, no less. "I made my way to the counter, then I saw a fire and a bunch of people with big weapons, then I, uh, screamed. And hid. Behind the counter." He started sweating even more. "I thought one of them saw me, so I could only..."

"There, there." Chrom reached over and patted the boy on his shoulder. "No need to feel guilty. No one will blame you for what you should or shouldn't have done in that situation." Chrom smiled, trying his hardest to conceal his growing frustration over, well, everything.

To his relief, the boy didn't notice anything and calmed down a bit. "She—I mean Her High—I mean, uh..."

"It's okay."

The boy continued. "She, uh, came down the stairs and saw me. Then told me to stay put and not get involved, and that she would deal with it. Somehow. She made me promise not to do anything until she came back. Then all I remember is a lot of yelling and screams and noises. And a few flashes of light. I think."

"Hm." Chrom had suspected that Robin was behind the chaos in the square, and this was the confirmation. Robin's current state aside, imagining her lighting up enemies like she used to was a brief respite for the exalt. He took a bit of solace that she went down swinging, just like he would. "After this, I take it you went out and saw her lying there?"

The boy gave Chrom a pained look. "Um, sort of? I waited for her when it got quiet, but when nothing happened for a while I peeked behind the counter, then outside to see if everything was done, and she was uh, kinda crawling toward me."

Chrom sat up in his seat. " _What?_ "

The boy panicked again. "I-I-I'm sorry I didn't listen to her, if I knew she was the queen I would have, no, I know I should have listened anyway, even if she wasn't, but..."

Chrom then caught himself, remembering that the boy he was speaking to was also on edge. "No, no, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intimidate you. You're not in trouble. Please, go on."

Many deep breaths later, the boy said, "I went to try to help her up, when I saw someone in the shade with a bow. I sort of panicked a bit and, uh, used this—" the boy pointed to his Thunder tome "—to try and stop him. With magic."

"The magic she taught you," Chrom added. He didn't like where this was going.

"Yes. It didn't do anything, then they fired an arrow at me, and then she..." The boy stopped and stared straight down into his lap.

"She... she what?" Chrom asked.

The boy remained silent, limbs visibly shaking.

"Take your time, young man. I understand if it's difficult for you to say."

Minutes passed before the boy caught his breath and started whispering, on the verge of tears. "She... she stopped it. She threw herself up to stop it."

Chrom's jaw tightened.

"Then she fired a big blast to kill him, and then..." The boy sniffled. "She... she... she fell to the ground." The boy then looked up at Chrom and frantically added, "I-I tried to help her, but she was bleeding and her eyes were closed and she wouldn't wake up, and then I saw Princess Lissa, so I ran to her, and, uh, well..."

"I see." Chrom stood up. "I think that tells me everything. Is there anything else?" The boy shrunk before Chrom and shook his head. "If that's the case, then I'd like to thank you for sheltering her. Especially since you didn't know who she was. I appreciate that kind of goodwill in a young man like you, and I'll make sure that you're compensated fairly."

"Huh?" The boy looked confused for a second, before shaking his head again. "N-no, that won't be necessary, Your Highness, being taught magic by the queen herself is more than enough..."

"It's alright, lad. You deserve what you're owed. And on the topic of compensation, I suppose you were the first to alert us of her presence, so I think it is only fair to reward you and your family for finding her, as well. Once everything has settled down, you can expect an appropriate reward from myself, personally."

The boy sat there in shock. "Y-Your Highness?" After Chrom returned (what Chrom hoped was) a gracious smile, the boy shot out of his seat and bowed. "Th-thank you, Your Highness! I-I'll make sure that my family and I will never forget this act of kindness!"

"No, please." Chrom shook his head. "I should be thanking you for reuniting me with my wife after three long years. You've no idea how much that means to me. Thank you, and farewell."

As Chrom was about to head out the door, though, the boy suddenly spoke up. "Um, forgive me for asking, Your Highness, but is she...okay?"

Chrom tightened his fists, considered how to answer the question, then settled on, "She will be okay. Eventually. One way or another."

* * *

Indignant, impotent rage boiled in Chrom's blood as he seethed outwardly, sitting next to Robin. He had spent the whole day sitting inside and thinking over things, and he was infuriated. It was a sick joke. It was all a sick joke. This was all a sick joke by fate, who apparently decided that watching the love of his life, the mother of his only child, his other half sacrifice herself before his very eyes wasn't enough. No, that wasn't nearly enough. Apparently, he needed to suffer even more, to pay for his cowardice, his refusal to accept that he can't save everyone, by seeing Robin again in a way that would break his spirit, but leave with it just enough hope so it could be obliterated oh so gradually with each passing second. And, to top it all off, she was like this because she had to sacrifice herself, again, to save a boy she knew for only a single, measly day. That was why she was like this. And Chrom was going to lose her, to watch her fade away again, right in front of him, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

Shaking, he stood up and paced around the room. Why her? Why did it have to be her lying there, fighting for her life, while he was still here, still healthy? What had she done wrong except be born as the vessel of the fell god, something she had no hand in? It made no sense. None of it made any sense. He was trying his hardest to not just break everything in sight. And it would be so easy to do so, as well. He could destroy everything in the room with his bare hands if he wanted to, and even if he couldn't, he had a divine sword he could use to hack it up instead. He could do it. He could raze this whole hospital to the ground by himself, if he could. It would be easy. It wouldn't accomplish anything, but it was something he could do. Unlike saving Robin. Again.

He sat down in the stool again, fuming. More than anything, he was furious at himself for being completely unable to stop Robin from sacrificing herself, again. For the second time. It was maddening. If only he was a bit faster, he could make it to Ylisstol in time to use every resource at the halidom's disposal to wake her up. He could have gotten there in time to help her fight off the brigands. He could have found her and made sure she never threw away her life like that again. He could have finished Grima off before she could.

"Chrom? Are you still in there?"

Chrom angrily turned around to see just who dared to interrupt him now, when he needed to be by his wife's side, and it was Lissa. And when she tentatively stepped into the room to see if he was alright, he barked at her to stay away and clenched his fists, causing Lissa to recoil in surprise, then horror at how far gone her brother was. Chrom soon realized how far gone he was, as well, then collapsed onto the floor, losing all of the energy that kept him enraged. Instead, he started sobbing, weakly crying out, "Lissa, there's only one day left. What did I do to deserve this? What did she do to deserve this?"

"What am I going to do?"

* * *

_"Is there a problem, my love?" Chrom asked. Robin wasn't exactly known for spending her nights in the Ylissean castle sprawled out across the grass in the courtyard._

_Robin fidgeted on the ground. "No, it's nothing, it's..." She exhaled. "Alright, maybe if I have to hear another dastard drone on about his noble lineage, I may cause a scene."_

_"You and me both, love," Chrom said, smiling. "So you're at least in good company."_

_"Ugh. I've no idea how any of you can stand this inanity. I hate it. I can see why Lissa wants to leave so badly. Gods, and she's been doing it for all her life..." Robin rambled for a bit, before blankly staring into the night sky._

_On a whim, Chrom decided to join in and lie down next to Robin. The light rustling of grass and their quiet breathing augmented the barely audible hum of the courtyard as the two gazed to the sky above. It wasn't the best view they ever shared, what with the architecture of the castle jutting into view, but with all the stars, farther away than they could ever grasp, shining their bright light, unimpeded, and the faint glimmer of the moon peeking out behind the highest castle tower, Chrom didn't particularly mind._

_"You certainly chose an odd woman to be your queen, Chrom," Robin suddenly said._

_"I'm sorry?"_

_"I'm just saying that a woman who can't stand being cooped up inside and would rather be chowing down on bear meat by a campfire might not make for the best queen." Robin mused, unable to hide her guilty tone._

_"Robin. Please." Chrom looked over and made eye contact with his despondent wife, before hugging her in a tight embrace and snuggling against her shoulder. "You're smart, thoughtful, more than capable and willing to do what must be done, and I trust you, and I love you, with every fiber of my being. You complete me. We complete each other. You are my perfect queen, and I won't stand for anyone saying otherwise, not even from you."_

_"Chrom..."_

_"I don't want to hear you doubt yourself like this again." He pulled his head up to look her in the eyes. "Exalt's orders."_

_Robin snickered. "Alright, alright, no need to get so serious all of a sudden." She wrapped his arms around him, and for a while, the two stayed in each other's tight embrace like this, sharing each other's warmth, neither wanting to let go and return to their duties. Nothing else mattered, as long they could be by each other's side._

_Robin eventually broke the silence. "...Frederick would have a fit if he spotted us right now, wouldn't he?"_

_"I don't know about 'fit'. Though he might start shouting. Which I guess is a fit for Frederick," Chrom noted with a smile._

_Robin chuckled. "Until then, you wouldn't mind staying here with your queen just a little more, would you?"_

_Chrom tightened his hug around Robin in response. "Anything for you, my love."_

* * *

"Milord, put Her Highness down and go back to bed. Please."

"I will not ask again, Frederick. Move. Aside. Now." The exalt and his lieutenant were both glaring each other, both sleep-deprived, both in a stalemate. Chrom was cradling his fading wife in his arms, and Frederick was blocking the exitway with his body.

"The sun will not be up for many hours, and you are not in a sound state of mind. Milord, you must cease whatever you are doing immediately and get rest."

Chrom's already meager patience was wearing thin. "Get out of my way. That's an order."

"Milord—"

"GET OUT OF MY WAY," Chrom shouted.

Tired and frustrated, Frederick could only shout back, "I cannot let you leave with Her Highness when I have not the faintest clue what you are doing, sire! I cannot let you do as you please when you are acting like this, so either state your intention, or stop this madness at once!"

Sensing the desperation in Frederick's voice, Chrom backed away from the brink, then said in a hoarse voice, "Frederick, I am just going to take her to the field and be by her side. That is all I am going to do. So move aside. Please, Frederick. If the fates have decided she is to die today, then I refuse to let her die in here, cooped up in this miserable place. The absolute least I can do for her now is that. Gods, Frederick, _let us go_."

Frederick remained unwavering until he noticed something purple hanging below Robin, something that Chrom was clutching in his right fist like his life depended on it. Frederick visibly relaxed a bit, but continued blocking the exit, asking in a calmer voice, "And when will you return?"

Chrom pondered the question for a few moments, looked at Robin's pale face, then looked at her slowly breathing in and out, and sighed. "...You can come get me at noon."

Frederick stared at Chrom in judgment for a bit longer, before slowly moving away from the hospital exit, eyeing the exalt in worry as Chrom hurried out of the hospital and into the darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

Chrom gently lowered Robin onto the grass, moving her arms to a more comfortable position as he looked around to make absolutely sure that this was the spot. It was a bit difficult to do in the darkness with a breeze interrupting his thoughts regularly, but after convincing himself that was, in fact, the spot, he stood back and took in the sight. If the sun were up, and if Lissa and Frederick were here with him, he was sure that this would be the spitting image of the day he met the love of his life, his future queen. Except for one thing, but he was going to get to that.

Chrom exhaled. "Well," he said, opening his arms wide, "this is it. We're here, love." He lowered his arms. "Not in the best of circumstances, of course, but we'll make do, won't we?" Chrom laughed to himself. "We always do."

The early morning breeze returned, causing Chrom to chatter his teeth. "A bit chilly, though, isn't it? Good thing I brought this," he said as he unfurled Robin's original robe, holding it up as if he was presenting it to her. He smiled. "I found it a while ago when I was digging through some of our things. For old time's sake." He leaned down and carefully lifted her body to wrap the robe around her and put her arms through her sleeves. Kneeling, he looked over his handiwork. "It always did fit you perfectly, didn't it?" he mused. This was the Robin he remembered the most, this was how she looked whenever he thought of her. The Robin he depended on, the Robin he fell in love with.

Chrom exhaled, then sat right next to her, still taking in her appearance. He sighed, then said, "Truth be told, I did mean to have that marker made, but things just worked out in a way that I brought your robe instead. I honestly don't know what I was going to do with it, I thought I'd figure it out when I got here. Bury it here, maybe. Or have it displayed somewhere nearby. I don't know. It's a good thing I found you, though, since this is definitely a better use for it."

He started stroking her cheek, not even registering how cold it had gotten to the touch. "Things are at peace now. You did it. Grima is no more, and everything's settled down back to normal, more or less. I'm still busy as exalt, of course, and there will always be brigands out there causing trouble, but our days fighting to save the world are over." He smiled. "Some of the Shepherds are a little upset that there's not much for them to do anymore, but they'll get over it. Especially with kids on the way." He leaned in. "You remember them all, don't you? Inigo, Severa, they'll all be part of our future any day now. And without the threat of the world ending, thank goodness."

Chrom paused. "Well, except Owain. Lissa's going to go on that trip she always said she would. That's why I'm out here, actually. We've been touring so that she can properly say goodbye to everyone in Ylisse, and this is our last stop before heading back to Ylisstol and seeing her off. So Owain will have to wait until she comes back. Probably for the best though, eh? Wouldn't want his tendencies rubbing off on young Lucina, would we?" He chuckled to himself before adding, "I kid, of course. Even if Lissa wouldn't kill me for saying that, he'll grow up to be a fine man, and Lucina will be better off for having him around. Lucina..."

As Robin's pallor and slowing breath slowly dawned on Chrom, the tears he had been holding back began falling down his face. "Lucina...she...she's such a bright kid, you know? She may have my hair, but her curiosity, her intelligence, the sparkle in her eyes...that's...that's all you, love. She's definitely your daughter, our daughter. She's just...so perceptive for someone of her age. I keep telling the wet-nurses not to say anything about you, but she always asks me. She always wants to know where her mother is, she asks for you constantly. And I've seen her face when I dodge the issue. That look...it's the look of someone who knows. She knows, I know she knows, but I just can't bring myself to tell her that...that..."

Chrom broke down, gripping onto her lifeless hands for dear life, trying to see his beloved wife through his tears. "Gods, Robin, I've, I've been so lonely without you for so, so long, I, I can't... I just can't..." He sniffled. "Nothing's felt right since that day, and it, just, I... Every time I think of you, I remember that smile on your face as you...you...faded away, for all of us, for me, for Lucina, and I can see it so clearly, and I..." He weakly grasped Robin's shoulders. "What am I to tell Lucina? That her mother's gone because it was what the world, this cruel world demanded? That her father's a coward who can't stand to look at himself, who let her mother die? Because it was the right thing to do? I can't do that, Robin!" His tone became frantic. "I just can't! _I'm not you!_ I never can be you! That's why I need you here, with me, alive, awake, happy, by my side! I'd do anything! Gods willing, I'd do anything! It's just... it's just..."

Chrom slumped over Robin's chest. "It's just so...unfair...that you're like this. You did nothing to deserve this fate. I'd think nothing if it was me instead of you, struggling like this. Gods, I'd trade places in an instant, just so you could live in the world you gave yourself to. I'd do it. I would. I..." He got back up, looking once again at her face. "Gods damn me, I can hear you already. I can already hear you scolding me, telling me to stop beating myself over nothing and having a death wish. I hear it every night," he said, holding his head in anguish. "I can hear you telling me to move on, to have faith in the invisible ties we forged together, for my sake, for Lucina's sake, for everyone's sake. For your sake. No running away from what's right."

"But I can't, my love. I can't accept a world where the right thing to do is face the future without you."

* * *

As the sun rose to its highest point in the vibrant blue sky, it shined its blazing light, illuminating the lush grass in the open field and everything else, save for the spaces directly under the tree leaves. It was a picturesque landscape, and Chrom couldn't enjoy any of it. For the last few hours, he only had it in him to sit curled up, knees held to his chest, face down. He hadn't moved a muscle or made a noise, not once sobbing or mumbling or even so much as peeking at Robin. He didn't have it in him. To do anything would be facing reality, would be confronting that he had to accept that Robin was truly, unquestionably gone, and that he had no choice but to move on.

_No running away from what's right._

Those words bounced around in his head, and his unwillingness to act only galvanized further with each passing second. Chrom had never had much trouble in discerning right from wrong, and years of experience had refined his fierce sense of justice with a mindful restraint. He was capable of fighting for what he believed was right, while understanding that he had his deficits and shortcomings. He knew he could still be stubborn, reckless, and uncompromising, and that was why Robin meant so much to him. She kept him from acting on his hastiest judgements and helped him accept the most bitter truths, and meanwhile he assuaged her at times paralyzing self-doubt and reaffirmed his trust in her unconditionally. Neither felt right without the other, thanks to the bond the two had formed through hardship and pleasure, from the moment they met in this field to that fateful day where she entrusted him with the world.

From Chrom's perspective, doing anything right now meant severing that bond and finding a way to live with its remnants. He couldn't bear it. Even as fate tortured him with the sunlight searing his exposed skin, a reminder of the warm, blissful day he would never get to have with his beloved Robin, he remained steadfast. Against all reason, he clung desperately to the hope that there and then, she would wake up and wrap her arms around him and rest her head on his shoulders, comforting him with her touch as she did for countless days.

"Milord."

Instead, reality had brought forth the only logical outcome: Frederick calling out for him from behind, alongside Lissa, whose presence was given away by her uncomfortable shifting from foot to foot rustling the grass.

Frederick spoke up again. "Milord, it is noon. Continuing to mourn Her Highness like this accomplishes little. We must return to the capital with haste."

Chrom didn't budge an inch. Just this once, he told himself, Frederick would have to drag him flailing and cursing to do what the lieutenant wanted. He wasn't going to give up Robin that easily. Not for him, not for anybody.

"Milord, this is not acceptable behavior. I cannot leave you like this for much longer."

Acceptable behavior, he says. Damn him. He gets to return to his love, a love who can greet him and talk to him and embrace him any time they want. How could he know what "acceptable behavior" was, in a situation he won't experience for decades? Chrom scowled to himself.

"Milord, I must—" Before Frederick could finish, Lissa caught sight of her brother shaking in his ball of resentment and sorrow, and interjected, "Chrom, please... You can't keep doing this to yourself. Please get up. If not for us, then... at least for Lucina?"

That was all it took for Chrom to snap himself out of his anger, and break down sobbing once again. He really was hopeless. He had done all of this with the purpose of moving on for his daughter's sake, and he couldn't even do that. An utter failure of a father, of no use to anyone without his better half alongside him.

Minutes that felt like lifetimes passed before Chrom settled down again, and shortly afterward he unfurled himself, sitting with his legs straight forward and his arms limping weakly by his sides. He was still facing away from Frederick and Lissa, staring off with a lifeless expression into a sunny horizon that clashed with his feelings and further sapped him of his energy.

Lissa called out once more. "Chrom?" He still did not respond. Thinking of a way to get him to act, she shouted, "Did you remember to thank her?"

In response, Chrom finally turned around, catching a glimpse of the other Shepherds in his periphery before gazing at Robin's figure. Her breathing was so slow that waiting for her to inhale and exhale took a painful eternity, and he knew that if he dawdled for much longer, she would never be able to hear him again. So with great pain, he pulled himself up to his feet and, taking in how peaceful she looked, despite the paleness of her skin and the circumstance she had thrown herself into, choked out the heartfelt _"thank you"_ he had wanted to say for all those long, lonely years. He just never wanted it to be how he said goodbye.

Eventually, Chrom saw Lissa make her way to his right. After looking at Robin laying on the ground and thanking Robin for everything herself, Lissa turned to face Chrom with a solemn look of patience on her face. Chrom sniffled, rubbed his eyes, and exhaled, before letting out a quiet "I guess that's it then."

"Are you sure?" Lissa asked.

"Yes," Chrom whispered. "We should go now." As he walked to his right behind her, evidently to meet up with Frederick, Lissa spoke up in concern.

"Um, are you just going to...leave her here?"

Chrom stopped in his tracks, before covering his face with his hands. "No, no, I... I wasn't... I didn't mean to..." He sighed.

"Chrom, we have to do _something_ ," Lissa objected.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, on the ground, a couple of fingers twitched imperceptibly, and a pair of eyelids retracted just a hair.

Chrom was too tired and worn out, physically and emotionally, to offer much of a retort. "What do you propose we do?"

Arms and legs shifted about, the sound of rustling grass blending into the ambience.

"Uh..." Lissa pondered a bit before stammering out a frustrated, "I don't know!"

Her eyes opened.

As she pulled herself up to her elbows, the first things she saw were the faces of Chrom and Lissa against a vibrant blue sky, Lissa gasping in shock and Chrom staring completely dumbfounded, eyebrows raised and mouth agape. As she could only return a blank stare, the three remained frozen like this for a few seconds, before, slowly, a familiar warm smile spread across her face. Chrom and Lissa soon had small smiles of their own on their face in response, then leaned in closer to her.

He broke the silence first. "I see you're awake now."

"Hey there," Lissa chimed in, lightly chuckling, as tears formed in the corner of her eyes.

"There are better places to sleep than on the ground, you know," Chrom remarked. "Give me your hand." Chrom extended his hand out, and she reached out with her hand, mark-free, and grabbed hold. Her grip felt so firm, so alive, that as soon as he pulled her onto her feet he was overwhelmed by emotion and hugged her with all the strength he had in him, before breaking down in tears as he felt her hug back, as he felt her warmth again, as he heard her crying tears of happiness as well.

The two pulled back after some time, and as they both heard Frederick clanking on over in his noisy armor to confirm everything, they cupped each other's faces, wiped each other's tears, and gazed into each other's eyes with joyful smiles they hadn't seen in years.

"Welcome back," Chrom said. "It's over now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes an idea you have in a bathroom stall just spirals into a 16k+ word fic. As it does. Sometimes it really do just be like that. And hey, writing that much tends to emphasize your own turns-of-phrase and writing habits in a really obvious way. Weird!
> 
> At any rate, I hope you've gotten something out of this, even if it was admittedly a lot of misery. If you want some more misery, but significantly shorter and in a mother-daughter flavor, you can check out my other Awakening fic. Which is also a Chrobin fic. Technically. I might like Chrobin a lot.


End file.
